Families & Friends Of Addicts Support Group
Addiction affects more than just the individual. This community is dedicated to the families and friends of individuals suffering from any form of addiction. Mental health professionals are increasingly considering alcoholism and addiction as diseases that flourish in and are enabled by family systems. Family members react to the addicted person with particular behavioral...
So, long story sort of short.
My mum is a recovering alcoholic, she has been dry(relativley) for 15 years. I mean she had a slip up at a bar when the bartender gave me her coke and her my rum and coke, but other then things like that she has been sober.
My oldest sister is a crack addict in rehab. My mum is raising her middle kid. KC is my mums second oldest grandkid at 14 and she is a handful. She has been kicked out of almost every school in our city, she smokes, drinks, does drugs, swears, is disrespectful. My mum works full time, and during the golf season she works 2 full time jobs.
For the past year I have noticed her taking pills for her back pain. She claims the doctors can't do anything and it started as her just taking a robaxecet on occasion. Now she takes three extra strength robaxecet, a percocet, four or five extra strength tylenol, and any other pain killer she may have....ALL AT THE SAME TIME! And she takes these about three times a day. They she wanders around saying things like 'oh I feel stoned' and 'guess I shouldn't of taken the tylenol too'.
I bring it up at least once a month in conversation, telling her I'm worried that she is taking the pills to get rid of more then the 'pain' in her back and she flies off the handle and claims she has pain and this is the only way to handle it. She hasn't been to a doctor about her back in 30+ years! She just swears they can't help her. Where she get's her pills? I don't know and she won't tell me. I'm so worried. I love my mum, and she's the only parent I have. And I watch her pop these pills and act like she's a champ for taking them and then still going to work.
Does it sound like it's a problem to you too? Or just a 54 year old woman handling her 'pain'.
My mum is a recovering alcoholic, she has been dry(relativley) for 15 years. I mean she had a slip up at a bar when the bartender gave me her coke and her my rum and coke, but other then things like that she has been sober.
My oldest sister is a crack addict in rehab. My mum is raising her middle kid. KC is my mums second oldest grandkid at 14 and she is a handful. She has been kicked out of almost every school in our city, she smokes, drinks, does drugs, swears, is disrespectful. My mum works full time, and during the golf season she works 2 full time jobs.
For the past year I have noticed her taking pills for her back pain. She claims the doctors can't do anything and it started as her just taking a robaxecet on occasion. Now she takes three extra strength robaxecet, a percocet, four or five extra strength tylenol, and any other pain killer she may have....ALL AT THE SAME TIME! And she takes these about three times a day. They she wanders around saying things like 'oh I feel stoned' and 'guess I shouldn't of taken the tylenol too'.
I bring it up at least once a month in conversation, telling her I'm worried that she is taking the pills to get rid of more then the 'pain' in her back and she flies off the handle and claims she has pain and this is the only way to handle it. She hasn't been to a doctor about her back in 30+ years! She just swears they can't help her. Where she get's her pills? I don't know and she won't tell me. I'm so worried. I love my mum, and she's the only parent I have. And I watch her pop these pills and act like she's a champ for taking them and then still going to work.
Does it sound like it's a problem to you too? Or just a 54 year old woman handling her 'pain'.
It doesnt help that both our mothers are recovery addicts of another drug, my mother heroin and your mother alcohol. So what are the chances that two formal addicts, both taking pain pills every day, and acting suspicious are now addicted to the pills. We both know the answer to that; its not the answer we want. The best advice I can give you is keep your head up and straight. We cant rely on your mothers to be clear headed or be willing to admit the addiction.
How was your mother able to quit drinking 15 years ago? Maybe start there and see if there is anything that pops up to start the conversation of quitting. I know that as long as our mothers and other addicts cant admit their problem, they wont try out a solution. Love and trust yourself first. I know you love your mother but you wont be able to help her if youre a mess. Best of luck. Keep in touch. Stay strong.
My mom is 59 and growing up I remember beginning to feel very suspicious of her. Her thing was always sleep medication and anxiety etc. I would notice her walking around and being an entirely different person depending on what she took while no one was looking. Always had that "stoned" feeling. [well to be honest at 13 my first thought was she was simply insane] really out of it, slurred her speech or just had an entirely different tone, etc.
One of the first big red flags from my mom that I got was when she told me that I didn't need to go to the doctor [I had a sinus infection] and that she had ways of just getting whatever medicine she wanted online.
I could go on and on, but I dont know if it would help or not.